Sunday, March 03, 2013

Philippine Navy still patrolling maritime borders near Sabah

MANILA, March 2 (PNA) -- Department of National Defense (DND) spokesperson Dr. Peter Paul Galvez said that the Philippine Navy (PN) is still closely patrolling the country's maritime borders near Sabah to prevent the situation in Lahad Datu from getting more tense.

"As mentioned before by the PN, they are patrolling the area so (that the situation) would not escalate. We are continuously monitoring the area between Tawi-Tawi and Lahad Datu because we don't want the situation to go out of bounds," he added.

The PN is currently employing a six-ship task force to monitor the area along with an Islander aircraft to prevent sympathizers of the Kiram clan from making another landing in Sabah.

Besides, the Navy also has the BRP Tagbanua on stand-by should Filipinos living in the island feel the need for repatriation.

"We are still monitoring the situation there. Whatever is happening, we are in (close) coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs," Galvez said.

Friday'shootout between Malaysian security forces and followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III resulted in the death of 15 people.

Of these, 12 are members of the “Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo” who had holed up in Lahad Datu since Feb. 9, and three Malaysians — two Malaysian policemen and the owner of the house where the Sulu group’s leader stayed.

The armed group that holed up in Lahad Datu was led by Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram, brother of Sultan Kiram, pressing for the sultanate of Sulu’s historic claim over Sabah.